The annual Ganesha festival is over. The devotees must have taken a sigh of relief after giving a respectful farewell to the lord Ganesha in the holy water body close to them. Most of them also pray "Agale baras jaldi ana (Come soon the next year). Are all these devotees prepared to carry-on these rituals year after year ? If so, are they sure that these water bodies will exist in the years to come ? These water bodies, in addition to being the pools for immersion, also serve the purpose of recharging the water table, so that water is available in the borewells being the standby water source, as the supply from the municipal bodies will not be sufficient. It is therefore the duty and responsibility of all residents close to a water body to ensure that these have adequate water for both the above purposes. Will these residents come forward to ensure, by stopping encroachments and regular cleaning of these water bodies, that the water being available is clean enough for giving farewell to our God.



- Wg. Cdr. V.B. Purang